How Many Dress Appointments in One Day?

OfftheMap27

Ok I am soon going into the world of dress shopping, and I am wondering, is there a standard/what did you do in regards to how many salons visited in one day?

Like many, I am nervous and not thrilled about the state of my body at present, so I already have some anxieties going in, so part of me is thinking start with just one, however, most worthwhile bridal salons are about 2 hours from me (Boston) and I also want to be efficient with my travel, and of course being sensitive of coordinating time off and such with attending parties.

So any who, what did you do? Or if you haven't done it yet, what are your thoughts?

msuprincess04

I did max 2 in a day. Beyond that I'd get bored and hungry. But, I'm not a big shopper. One of my girlfriends did 3 in a day, and just being with her for that was exhausting.  However, we had lunch inbetween 2 and 3 so that helped break things up and I also tried on BM dresses at the third appointment so that saved a trip later.

plainjane0415

I made appointments at 2 bridal salons.  One at 10am that morning and 1 at 3pm that evening to give myself some time to try on, not be rushed, and get from store to store.  That seemed to work out well and I tried on probably 20+ gowns after it was all said and done.  Personally, I was glad I went to 2 bridal shops as opposed to just one so that I could see all different types of gowns.  The shops I went to each carried totally different designers, so that maximized the amount of variety and styles that I was able to try that day. 

princessleia22

I agree that 2 is good, or 3 max. If you are really ambitious, you could probably do 4 (2 in morning, 2 in afternoon), but I wouldn't recommend it.  Each appointment maybe takes 1-2 hours.  But you don't want to be rushed.  And it is much more exhausting than you would imagine. 

plainjane0415

nicoann said:

I agree that 2 is good, or 3 max. If you are really ambitious, you could probably do 4 (2 in morning, 2 in afternoon), but I wouldn't recommend it.  Each appointment maybe takes 1-2 hours.  But you don't want to be rushed.  And it is much more exhausting than you would imagine. 

THIS.  100% correct.

Maggie0829

I would only do 2 in a day.  You have to consider the distance between the two places and that most likely you will want to stop and get a bite to eat in between.  Also trying on dresses is actually pretty exhausting and if you try on too many in one day you could get overwhelmed and confused.

missdelilah

I mainly did one a day, although there was one day that I did two, simply because I was so close to settling on something that I knew was a little boring, and there were two stores that had samples I wanted to try.  Also, I was on a super tight time frame.  If you've got the time, I recommend one per day.  The two per day left me a little worn out.

emanon321

I did 3 appointments on the first day of shopping with a quick stop to wander around David's Bridal I think. So we pretty much took care of all the ones farthest away because of the travel. (Figures I get my dress at the furthest one possible from where I live haha) It was just me and my mom hoofing it around. The first two were great, we had a nice lunch. But the third one was super late in the day and we were so ready to go home long before it even started. 

So I would recommend 2. You'll get the most enjoyment out of your time.

weddingcactus

Check with the people that will be joining you for the appointment. I think 1 - 2 is probably best. I traveled out of state with a friend and we hit 3 shops one day. It was exhausting for both of us. 

Dignity100

I would say 2 is probably best. After awhile you might just get confused and 2nd guess what you like.

doeydo

I did two appointments, and I found "the dress" at my second appointment.  I tried on a heck of a lot of dresses and would not recommend doing any more that two appointments in one day. 

labro

I made three appointments in one day, had a lunch break etween salon 1 and salon 2, and never made it to salon 3 because I found mh dress at the second appt. However. I had visited all three places before and picked out favorites at each store so my experience was a little different. I say do max 3 appointments in one day, plan for each appt to last an hour and a half at least and space them so you have time for lunch or a coffee break between each of them plus travel time.

weddingcactus

LaPeanut1018 said:

...plan for each appt to last an hour and a half at least and space them so you have time for lunch or a coffee break between each of them plus travel time...

This. I should have mentioned it, but it was key having enough time allocated between appointments for food/relaxation breaks and travel time. Feeling rushed to get to the next appointment and/or being late is no fun for anyone and adds unneeded stress.

cowgirl8238

I only did one store a day but I had plenty of time.  I don't see a problem with doing 2 if travel is involved, but anymore than that and I think you will wear yourself out and stop enjoying the process.

buttercup1958

Yeah I think after two appointments it might get confusing. I don't think I would remember all the dresses in that short of a time frame. Maybe ask the people who are going with you how many would be a good idea. That way you don't accidentally wear you and your party out.

aggiespartan

I did 1 store at a time and that was plenty for me, but I didn't enjoy the dress shopping experience very much.

anjemon

Personally, I was exhausted after 2 shops. I had evening plans with friends after the first day I tried on dresses and I really wished I had time for a nap before I had to go places. For me, trying on dresses was really tiring. 

I would also plan to be at the store at least 2 hours and then plan travel time. In all 4 stores I went to the appointments ran over the "hour and half" they say they give you. Which was nice to not be rushed, but made the travel/eating arrangements harder to make work.

psiloveyouu

I did 2 shops in 1 day and while it was fun, many PPs are 100% correct when they say it is EXHAUSTING. I don't know if it was the combination of stress, nerves and being on my feet all day that made me kind of tense/keyed up but I was literally SORE the next day.

MandyMost

I went out 2 different Saturdays, and did 3 shops each time. I'd reccomend only doing 2 max in a day. You mentioned Boston--I live in Boston city limits, and didn't find any stores here I wanted to shop at. I did one day in New Hampshire (Marry and Tux, a smaller shop, and David's Bridal), and a second day about a half-hour outside the city (2 smaller shops and Alfred Angelo). Both times all the stores were within a couple miles of each other, so travel time was no big deal. We stopped for lunch between appointments. At Alfred Angelo there was really only 1 dress I was interested in, and David's Bridal ended up being a massive waste of time...otherwise 3 stores in 1 day would have REALLY been too much.